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Message with the dimensions came back today saying that they're 18" high, 30" deep and 16" wide at the front of the seat opening out to 17" at the back. That means that they'll fit the Spyder cockpit without needing to lower the floors if you bolt them straight down. I'm going to use runners so I'll modify my dropped pans to suit.
Spent today tackling some of the boring little details that soak up the time but need doing anyway, like fitting the new handbrake cable and rear brake hoses. This took so long I didn't get the chance to drop in and see how Phil9 is getting on with his second Spyder build. I will find the time to do that next week though, assuming you can still buy petrol then...
Other jobs I got done today were spraying the underside of the floorpans with underseal and having a play with the exhaust, cutting out the kink and shortening it. I had hoped to rotate the back box through 90 degrees leaving the tail pipe coming out of the centre of the body at the back where most people have their number plate. It quickly transpired that the chassis is in the way so It's going to be a bit more conventional after all, sticking out under the rear just off centre. I might be able to raise it slightly so it's cut into the rear 'valance' slightly which would be nice.
On a more positive note I'm very pleased with my centre tunnel which has now had a second layer of glass matting added to give it more strength. While laying up the fibreglass yesterday evening a medium sized black beetle landed smack in the middle of the bit I was working on and sank slowly into the resin. There wasn't anything I could do to save it and I guess it'll surface on a beach somewhere in about 70 million years time in an amber bead stylee.
Back to work tomorrow so no more progress for a day or two I'm afraid. It's all coming together though, slowly but surely.
good work Mr T. Coming along nicely. I like your centre Tunnel, that will save a bit of room in the cockpit.
Are you still putting in the luggage compartment? If so you will have to think about how you are going to tilt the seats forward to access it. The shells look nice, so you will need a locking hinge assembly on the subframe I suppose.
I hope to have a good weekend on mine so I can get the engine running and maybe the body glassed on!
Thanks for the compliments! Yes, I'm still going to move the fuel tank back behind the rear spring and build in a luggage bay similar to yours. As for access I'm fitting seat sliders and I'm hoping they'll move forwards far enough to be able to get stuff in and out of the 'boot'. If not I'll have to have a rethink and fabricate a tilt/lock mechanism. How are you tackling that particular obstacle?
Anyway, good luck bonding your body to your chassis, that's a real milestone that I'm still a way's off yet.
My Dax seat shells were waiting for me when I got home this evening and I have to say they are fantastic quality. At £108 a pair delivered I think they're unbeatable value.
They're also a perfect fit for the Sammio cockpit. Although I've lowered my floors by 5" at the back and 1 1/2" at the front I'll be changing that as it's no longer necessary now I'm not going to use the MGB seats. Depending on where my eyeline ends up with a couple of inches of padding in the squab I might even go back to a flat floor as they still wouldn't stick out of the top of the cockpit.
Those seats are great .....prettier and cheaper than mine !
Thats an incredible price Towed .....fibreglass materials are made as a by product of the oil industry and , as with all things oil based , has increased in price quite dramatically recently .....I have swallowed the increases so far , but won't be able too much longer , which really pisses me off as my aim is an affordable kit for the majority , not minority.
How are you planning the interior layouut , style of trim etc..? Like Phils , all comfy and Gay or more race like , like this beautiful Maserati ??
Ha Ha! Having seen Phil's car in the flesh I wouldn't describe the interior as 'Gay'. It's more like a boxing glove - tough, purposeful, a tight fit and wrapped in leather (ette).
I'm tempted by the outright racer look and I love those Maserati seats but I'm going for a road/race fusion look with trimmed side panels but a bare, painted floor. If you look at Porsche 550's and 718's that were sold to the likes of James Dean - millionaire's playthings that could compete on the track and cruise down Sunset Boulevard with equal aplomb, that's what I'm aiming for.
And yes, my Dax seat shells were cheaper than I could've made them for myself. And eight pounds postage for the pair. Bargain.
These seats certainly look the business.
The only worry I have is that I'm hardly what you would call lacking in posterior padding and I may get stuck in them. How do they feel for 'wriggle room'?
I may still go for the padded rear bulkhead and custom squabs but I'm sorely tempted. If I order a pair and they prove to be somewhat tight would someone volunteer to buy them off me (and as a treat I'd pay the postage)
These seats certainly look the business.
The only worry I have is that I'm hardly what you would call lacking in posterior padding and I may get stuck in them. How do they feel for 'wriggle room'?
I may still go for the padded rear bulkhead and custom squabs but I'm sorely tempted. If I order a pair and they prove to be somewhat tight would someone volunteer to buy them off me (and as a treat I'd pay the postage)
Andy ....I would buy them ...They would do for Jennettes 550 ...
Andy: I'm 5'11" and fourteen stone and the seat shells without upholstery are a comfortable fit across my hips and back. What I would say is that these are just about as wide as you can put in the Spyder body without them fouling the side panels.
You'll be surprised what you can squeeze into even if you are more generously padded than a dfs sofa - I was lucky enough to go out for a quick blast as a passenger in Phil's finished car in yesterday afternoon's sunshine (thanks Phil, I've still got a silly grin on my face!) and although his seats are smaller, narrower buckets than the Dax ones and he's a size or two up from me we both fitted into them quite comfortably. As the Dax seats are also very low I'm aiming to go back to an almost flat floor. This will enable me to move the seats inboard a couple of inches (only possible due to my low-level prop tunnel) freeing up a bit of elbow room at the sides of the cockpit, which is quite tight if you have a large centre tunnel. If you are very big I'd suggest making a low level prop tunnel and a dash mounted handbrake assembly to free up the maximum possible space in the cockpit even if you do go for the padded rear bench and separate seat squabs. Don't forget the Spyder is quite a small car.
Charman: I don't think you can buy off-the-shelf covers for these shells, it's a job for a professional trimmer and the one thing I'm going to farm out to an expert. I haven't got any quotes in yet but I'll keep you posted once I've an idea of the budget required to have them trimmed in burgundy leather...
Thanks. I put in an order for a pair last night and will give them a go. I've not got as far as dressing the interior yet but it should have a frame and floor on during next weekend insha'Allah so I'll be able to gauge it then.
I'm 6'2" but have a sloped floor pan set already so I don't think the height would be a problem, as long as the derriere fits I'll run with them.
My poor lad, however, at over 6'10 and on the large side to boot may be another story. (Possibly a G46 for him in the future?)
Popped the body back on temporarily this morning to check clearances for the seats, fuel tank and brake servo.
These pics were taken with a board over the lowered sections of floorpan effectively raising the seats 1/2" above the flat floor level -
As you can see the seats will fit under the level of the cockpit from a flat floor while my eye level is just above the aero screen which is where you want it (the screen will sit a little higher once it's bonded in place).
One slight fly in the ointment that's reared its head is that the bonding paste I bought from Glasplies doesn't seem to be what I actually ordered. I went for white special -
That's funny, that's what the chap from Glasplies said...
Thing is, there's no mention of the bonding paste needing a catalyst on their website and it didn't come with any instructions so I (foolishly) assumed it would air cure.
You'd think they might've contacted me before dispatching the order as the catalyst is only £1.60 a throw... plus seven quid postage
I ended up placing a much larger order with them for a load more glass matting and enough resin to mould a life size model of the Titanic, or at least Kate Winslet's threepenny bits.
My plan now is to use fibreglass to encase the plywood floors, effectively turning the body into a sort of Heath Robinson monocoque and permanently waterproofing it all inside and out. I've also ordered a couple of litres of white 'flowcoat' to give it all a smooth finish.
I have a few days off coming up so there should be some progress soon.
or more race like , like this beautiful Maserati ??
